OBITUARY

Michael Taylor died on 2/6/2023.

Michael Taylor was elected to the ATSE Fellowship in 2007 and was a member of the Victoria Division and the Agricultural Forum.

Michael Taylor was a gifted agricultural economist who rose to lead the Department of Agriculture in Victoria in 1971. He was the Secretary for the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government and Secretary for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Michael Taylor was also the Chair of the Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation, Director of the Melbourne University Business School, Director of the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre, Australian Statistics Advisory Council Member, and a Governor of the Crawford Fund.

He was on the Board of the Crawford Fund from 2010 until his death and is remembered as never afraid to state his point of view, contributing significantly to all agencies he worked for and collaborated with.

In 2007, Michael Taylor was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to managing natural resources and industry policy development at the Federal level and in Victoria, particularly in agriculture, and through contributions to transport, water, food and safety standards.

Always so full of life, so very positive and supportive, Michael Taylor passed away on 2 June 2023 after a short illness. He is survived by his wife, Eve; Children, Erica and Rachel; Grandchildren, Aris, Xanthe, Eva, and Bowie. 

Micheal Taylor is a distinguished government and industry agricultural research and policy economist. Since 1992, he has been Secretary to five Victorian and Australian Government departments. Taylor has provided leadership in international, Commonwealth and State policies and legislation, advising Governments and Ministerial Councils on a wide range of agricultural, food, forestry, fisheries, energy, minerals, water, environment and sustainable natural resource management issues. Particularly significant were improved quarantine policy arrangements to increase Australia's protection from pests and diseases, the National Food Industry Strategy, the implementation of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and national water reform.